A LUXURY grand tourer with the power and performance of a supercar - that's the DNA of BMW's new four-door M8 Competition Gran Coupe.

With four full-size seats, the latest M8 model is derived directly from the BMW M8 Competition Coupe and was developed alongside the BMW M8 GTE endurance racer.

The Gran Coupe is 23.1cms longer and undoubtedly heavier than its two-door siblings but it matches them in terms of performance and is right up there with some of the world's fastest sports cars.

The eight-cylinder, twin-turbo, 4.4-litre engine pumps out a massive 625hp, providing neck-snapping acceleration with the 0-60mph sprint clocked in little more than three seconds - faster than Ferrari's GTC4 and considerably quicker than the four door, four seat Porsche Panamera. Top speed is electronically limited to 155mph.

Power is delivered via an eight-speed steptronic auto transmission to a four wheel drive system with an active differential. The system is biased towards rear wheel drive but can be configured via the set-up menu to provide power to the rear wheels only.

The new M8 Competition Gran Coupe will receive its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November but sales won't start until April 2020. However, British BMW dealers are already taking orders for the car which will cost from £120,935.

It's going to be a pretty exclusive machine, but rarer still will be the M8 Gran Coupe First Edition, only five examples of which will be available to British buyers. It will feature exclusive design cues include a special diamond green metallic paint finish with gold bronze accents.